🚫 EGGS! Not Worth Risking Your Life For!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ธ.ค. 2024
- 🚫 Please be safe when it comes to decisions about your homestead!
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Bought range free eggs at my local dairy farm last week. Been buying eggs from this young 30 something farmer for 5 years. He has only raised his prices twice in that time. I paid 3.50 a dozen. I belive he keeps the lower prices as a commu ity service as he is very involved in the community. I'm sure many people would have less to eat without his involvement and caring about the community. Funny his Mom once told me since he was a little boy all he ever wanted to be was a farmer. God Bless him and his family.
That's beautiful.
🤗
Sincerely, truly from the heart, I say Amen.
Sweet. Thanks for sharing.
I just over $8 for 18 Egglands Best. I am grateful to get them.
So buy him a bag of seed or sunflower seed.
I got one egg yesterday. Molding, cold and older chickens. No light in house . I have nursing home of animals, old chickens ,old horses , old dogs and cats . Love them all.
Same here.....
Me too!
I thought it was only me😀
Me as well! My last girl died of natural causes this past year. She was 13 yrs old. I miss my girls 😭
Us, too. Mostly old animals, but they are family.
I was so excited when my hubby called me to tell me 3 folks asked for 18 eggs each. (Small group). That was until I heard that he told them $4.00 for 18! Yeah. We are having a little talk! Lol
Great deal!
When I was a newbie chicken keeper I stressed about keeping my chickens warm in our brutal Wisconsin winters.
I don’t heat my coop. Coop fires are a real thing.
First of all, do your research on cold hardy chicken breeds, there’s a lot to choose from.
And know that if a sparrow can survive outdoors your chickens will be just fine too.❤️
Would u mind. Sharing your favorite cold hardy breeds? We are in MO and experimented with cuckoo MaranS. Boy do I regret it. They all died first day of the freeze last month 😢
I had chicks out in freezing cold they are alive today
Amen
@@CG-mj8tk New Hampshire Red
@@kookietherapy9398 ty!
First of November, I paid almost $29.00 for one hundred pounds of chicken feed. It's over one third gone, and I only have 9 birds. I also buy chicken scratch grain, which I ferment for my girls (and guy). During the super cold week we had no eggs. Right now I get between 1 and 3 eggs a day. With the prices in the stores, I am just grateful that I have chickens.
Same here. First year 5 hens, only 4 have layed, now 1-2 eggs a day. I paid $17 for 40 lbs I think.
How do you ferment your scratch? I’ve heard about it for a long time but haven’t done it. I make suet cakes but would like to start other ways as well.
When they inject cattle with the mRNA Vax & hens are in short supply you'll be glad you've got them.
About 5 years ago my next door neighbor thought their chickens were going to be cold so they put lights in to warm them. 2 days later their house burned down because of it. You Are doing people a huge favor by educating them. Thank you my sweet Cherokee sister.
You are so much fun. Thankyou! I learn so much from you.
Thank you for sharing your perspective . I have been watching you for quite a while. I found a lovely lady nearby selling her eggs for only$4! I remembered what you said and gave her$20. I thanked her for all she does, and told her to buy feed!. I don't say this to toot by horn. But to thank you! God bless you!
I found that, even in colder climates like ours here in Ontario, Canada, it's healthier for the birds to not have the lamps. I stopped that and deep bedding a few years ago and my birds are healthier than ever. I have 2 retired ladies seperated bc the rest of the hens bully them and the roosters get rough bc they don't want to mate. Friends make fun because of my attachment to the birds. But they deserve to be treated well for all that we have benefit from them.
You stopped using heat lamps AND deep bedding? Or started deep bedding? I'm just wanting to understand. (We have thankfully mild winters, but wondered why anyone would stop deep bedding in winter.)
@@OrganicMommaGA oops I forgot to mention, that we have 2 large, thick plexi glass windows in the North side of our coop, so they get lots of light through the day. The sun rises from the East, so no direct sun goes into the coop to cook them 😉 either.
Me and my neighbors just traded the other day...I got a beautiful persimmon tree for an 18 pk of eggs. I love trading with people ❤️
My babies lay eggs whenever they want to. They are happy and a part of my family. I give my eggs away to my friends and family. And always have enough for everyone. Thank you for all your information and sharing your life with us. God bless you.
NEW CHICKEN OWNERS: we listened through that cold spell more like a freeze spell 😬 our girls made it through with no frostbite...yes we had to go out there more to check water and them. But everyone did great. So proud of my girls 😉 can't thank you enough. 🙏🙏❤❤❤
@Gambit Odsey I've never lost a chicken due to cold, here in Minnesota, I've had Temps at 30 below plus. I have 2 flat panel heaters hanging on the wall of the hen house. 1 comes on at 0, one comes on at -20. That is usually enough to keep it - 10 or above over night. My runs are covered with green house panels (south run) , and the north run is covered in plastic. It usually heats up to around 20 degrees during the day if the sun is out, If it is 20 below.
My husband tells the story of his Grandma's coop that was a dilapidated shed with "ventilation" (space between the siding boards!). Her flock always did great in the winter cold. Chickens will instinctively seek shelter as they need it.
I love my hens. They get to live out their natural life span here. They took care of us so we continue to take care of them.
Letting my girls rest for the cold weather. Thanking God for every egg I get
when it gets real cold, like single digits, we cook for our chickens! Rice or old pasta mixed with sone lard or left over grease from burgers along with whatever I can find. I opened 6 yr old canned peaches, they loved em! I feel like they need extra calories to keep warm.
The most important thing for me in winter is to be sure whatever bedding you use, it stays dry. Wet bedding will cause frostbite. And the thing that causes moisture in a coop in winter - a heat lamp.
Amen to this 1.
People don't realize it unless they have gone through it on their own bodies.
I'm in Minnesota. We've had hens for 6 years. The first year, we used a suiter heater not heat lamp, and lights. They may have laid a few more eggs but they'd freeze before we'd get to them. We ditched the light to give the girls a break. They need their energy to keep warm. We use the suiter heater, which is very safe, to help so their combs don't freeze so bad. It's a radiant heater that hangs above their roosting bars. We just know in our climate we won't get eggs during the winter. I froze eggs and waterglassed them last fall so we still haven't had to buy any yet, thankfully.
I'm feeding my chickens hard or scrambled eggs everyday for protein in the Winter it's my first year raising chickens. They're still laying eggs not all are I have thirteen hens and I'm collecting 3 sometimes 6 a day. Do you think that's too much egg for them. Also I still have a lot of eggs in my fridge
yup.
@@alicerees1286 you will get eggs the first winter, they don't usually lay in the winter after the first year.
Unwashed eggs keep quite well. Duck eggs keep even longer.
They sure have gotten expensive. I buy them from the store when I have to. One brand at our store is $10/dz. The cheapest brand of dz white eggs is almost $5, when the same dz were about $1.50 before. My sister and her husband are peach farmers in Fredericksburg, TX and this last year they bought 300 chickens and I have been very grateful and blessed to be getting fresh eggs from them for $4/dz. They live almost an hour from me, so I stock up when we get together. I really love the idea of trading and bartering. I give my sister Jams and homemade sourdough loaves and they give me peaches and eggs. We should all be developing a good system of trading with our neighbors now, before the coming of government control on our money.
My Ladies of the Lawn live according to their cycles. I need a break at times, and figure that they do too. As far as winterizing, I wrap their coop in moving blankets to keep out drafts and add an extra layer of insulation. My Girls are happy, healthy, cozy, and warm.
I am getting about half of normal egg production, and that’s ok.
Ladies of the Lawn 🥰
Love the name “Ladies of the Lawn.”
Pro tip: Supplement their diet with WHOLE kernal corn (not cracked) during the cold periods. It's helps them stay warm.
I use cracked corn. Why whole corn?? Thanks
I think because it takes longer to digest keeping body heat raised.
Make sure it's not GMO corn because most of it is.
@@MrGarymola Right ! GMO corn makes GMO Eggs. NOT ORGANIC !
The first year I had chickens I went overkill on heating my coop. I’m lucky they survived lol. During snowmagettan in Texas, we were -1 for a few days without power, chickens were on their own and did fine! Lesson learned, the only thing I had to worry about was frozen water.
Same here. I live in an area that the only protection my chickens had is their coop. I blocked the opening to keep the wind from whistling through. It was rough because our power was shut off for a while so that freeze froze our pressure tank solid. It was an expensive recovery.
During Snomegeden one of my hens got locked outside. I found her under the mower , she was ok only her colmb got frostbite! I think the wind might freeze them!
Daughters once wanted to put a light and heater on the chickens for more eggs. I told them to think of it like going into labor every 9 months. If they were willing to do that for their life span I would put the light and heater on the hens. I got a three way definite NO. Settled that really quick.
Being in Texas, my hens don't have to deal with zero degrees, 10 degrees, even just below freezing for very long. Their coop is barely big enough for them, but it's placed in a spacious, secure, breezy fenced and roofed pen. When the weather gets bad, they can hunker down in the hay in the coop, but they come out in the daytime anyway for food and water and scratching around. I keep a variety of breeds and they all seem to acclimate just fine. No heat lamp, no fan in the summer heat, just good food and a safe place to live, and eggs come like magic.
Patara, I find that if you replenish your flock with a few new hens each year, you can get constant egg laying thru the times when your older girls are molting and taking their well deserved break.
We did that last summer. They ALL stopped LAYING. BIGGEST MISTAKE I'VE MADE In the last 6 years.. I wish I could send them to a retirement farm and start over from scratch
I can give you another negative thing about keeping light heat in a coop. Last year was my first winter for chickens. We put in a lower watt bulb to supplement for heat and light but kept it lower watt so it would be less likely a fire hazard. What happened is the chickens started picking on each other really badly, because it was light enough and they were bored enough to develop those bad habits. I had to rehome 2 out of 6 to help with peace in my small flock and this year so far so good without the lamp. I wish I would have heard your advice last winter, but live and learn.
Homesteaders, preppers etc., I call us "Common sense folk". Thanks for another great video, I enjoy them all so much! Stay safe!
I bought 9 RIR chicks and a rooster last year. I never had chickens before so I am learning more each day -- I appreciate the advice!
It's def an education.
I raise RIR also they are hearty chickens.
I love my RIRs, Penny, Henny and Brownie. I had Chocolate but she was a sickly girl and she died the past year.
Man, preach, I’ve never known so many people who wanted their chickens to lay in the dead of winter. My explanations have fallen on deaf ears. We get eggs from our chickens for years and years. They get a winter vacation. 😅 I’m also with you on egg prices. I think people have been underpaying for years.
I live in WI. We never used heat lamps for our chickens and never lost one to the cold. When it got really cold, in addition to their layers mash, we added extra cracked corn and scratch to help keep them warm. Our biggest problem was come spring we had big fat chickens. lol. They also layed all winter also. God bless.
Could be worse... Big fat chickens make for awesome pot pie 😉 Joking! - everyone I know who raises laying hens, are all too attached to them to ever consider eating them! But pullets, though, different story.
@@saoirse_flies we definitely ate ours. Now I'm spoiled. Can't eat store bought.
@@Chipmunk-jf9nh I hear ya. There's nothing like homegrown meat.
Also when we had terrible cold here years ago alot of people's chickens froze on the roost. Ours had dry bedding on the floor and had gotten down in it in that horrible cold spell, mine survived.
So her advice on dry bedding is very important.
Patara, I think the prices are so high, because they are seeing how high the people will pay, before we stop paying it and saying enough is enough. Love your videos!
No. I t Is TO STARVE US OFF. I wish I had stayed at my aunt house in Alabama in CHURCH
Absolutely- do what works for your family. I started last year when we decided to leave city life. We have chickens ducks and a horse+ other animals. It’s going up in price- better ask for that raise or rework that budget. Just paid 50 ¢ extra for a loaf of bread. Time to bake it myself at that price. Buy your extra Bible. Plan ahead. Hard times are here already and buckling up quicker. Fight the legislation against using gas stoves (look it up)!! Dont give up if you are just starting or thinking of starting. Dont surrender (unless it’s to the LORD) God bless
Wood stoves, too. We are the carbon They want to reduce.
The ppl flying around in personal jets want reg folks to spend $600 for a brand new electric stove. Smh. Better not start on wood stoves bc we'll keep ours until those screwballs stop flying!
@@iridescentsea3730 Wow - that is insane! And, I seriously doubt most ppl can plunk down that chunk of change at any time right now! It's sad things are so expensive...
@@iridescentsea3730 ....plus electric rates keep going up & gas stoves have always cost less to operate.
Patera, I’m always impressed at your ability to talk at a good pace and throw out comedic content while also imparting important information. You’re truly a gem!
AGREE, I think comedy AND the serious info is way better to learn and retain...WE NEED TO LAUGH MORE..
@@lukequigley121 perfectly said. 💕NonnaGrace 🐓
She's a natural!
She is the kind of person I wish I could call a friend!
I'd love to be hanging w her when she had a full on rage about some BS.😃😁
Patara, not only are you smart, you have so much common sense. Thank you. God Bless!
The lack of need for supplemental heat is great advice to those who are new to raising chickens. We live where winter temps often reach into the negatives Fahrenheit. Our first winter we heated. I spent so much time worrying and checking on things it was exhausting. We later realized this was not necessary. We added another small coop when we got more birds and they tend to naturally huddle in one coop when it’s cold. Now all that we do is make sure the coop is securely closed to predators and that they are all in one coop on cold nights and they are always happy and warm.
I don't understand why people can't fathom that the heat of summer is more dangerous for them than the cold. I would only be super worried if someone maybe only had 4 or 6 birds, but even then, so long as you size their coop appropriately they should be fine, too. I'd bring my flock into the garage before I'd leave a lamp on them unattended.
I also agree with you on paying a fair price for someone gracious enough to share their eggs. I'd be embarrassed.
I keep my hens for life also. My oldest girl just died two days ago; she hasn't laid eggs in a very long time. But she always helped new chicks adjust to coop life. Plus, she would follow me around and tell me everything....lol! I love my girls! I did use 3 days of a light bulb on ( the actual coop inside light during the day) during the bitter cold we had in Kansas even with triple deep shavings. Last year some hens died during the cold - don't want that again. All did well now. Also I lay down triple deep shavings in their coop before the cold. They burrowed down in there during winter cold spells instead of staying on the roosts.
You talk to your animals the same way I do. Like they are people. I love that grey and black tomcat that follows you around. I just love a sweet cat.
Patera, we’re paying between 3.99 and 7.99 per DOZEN @ the grocery store for eggs.
God bless you. Thank you for your help and motivation 🙏🏻❤️
My husband is a Michigan volunteer firefighter. His dept went out on a small coop fire due to a heat lamp OR light. Not sure how much loss or damage. But, preventable.
We live in far North Quebec Canada. 2 nights ago it got down to 4.9 F in our 20x32 feet greenhouse where we keep aprox 30 chickens. We do not supplement heat or light. They have an insulated shelter inside the greenhouse if they choose to sleep there. The majority choose to roost in the rafters. We lost one 4 yr old bird. We have bred an already cold hearty breed to be even more hearty. The average night temps in January this year so far have been 10-20 F. We are currently only getting 1-3 eggs a day. That is why in the Summer when I was getting average 20 eggs a day I dehydrated and pressure sealed about 100 eggs for the 6 month Winter. As the days get longer we will get more and more eggs. Way before the snow melts.
I agree there are ways to keep your flocks warm in the colder climates. Keep their cages vented but well insulated from the cold. Hens can take the cold if their healthy & well fed.
Girl your hilarious when your walking & talking to your animals! You sound just like me! 😂
My life flows around my hens! 😂 We are in the Andes, so hot days and temperate to very cold nights. During the start of the rainy season it takes them a time to readapt to the light and temperature changes and I tweak their diet as needed and they jumpa back into laying... It is my 4th year raising these ladies and you never stop learning. Lord bless you.
Amen! I stand by you and your beliefs. If we can move out of Colorado back to the family farm and build we will absolutley be doing our own chickens and everything!
I love 💕 your honest, no bull shit, straight shooter personality. You don’t sugar coat anything. #1 homesteaders in my book. Right on 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Yes ma’am Mrs Patara. I totally agree. Key to these cold snaps are a DRY and clean coop. Dry and fresh bedding do wonders and clean nesting bars for sure. Thanks for continuing to educate and encourage people who are new and or still learning. Many blessings
Black oil Sunflower seeds do wonders as well for protein
I consider the “extra” stuff I throw out to the chickens scraps, snacks, or scratch. You are 100% on the money with this.
I'm doing the same with my hens. No extra lights or heat lamps. They are not producing now, but I expect that to change soon. Last summer I was giving Walmart bags with eggs to my neighbors as we had plenty.
I prefer to call al y'all smart people
I’m in northern Wisconsin have a nice coop with attached run. I never use heat. I wrap the run with plastic to keep the wind chill off, they have been great for years.
Was told raise pullets in spring, they will start laying in fall. Keep cycling them, for eggs year round.
Good morning and lots of love from Ohio. I'm so glad I've kept chickens and ducks for years, I'm also glad I passed out so many of them last year( helped start other folks a flock) the ones I kept are plenty and feeding all those I had would have broke the "new normal" budget. Feeding the critters has gone up with everything else. Have a good Friday and God bless.
I LOVE you relationship with your furbabies! They are family!!
Be safe Patera. We love you in Florida❣️
Agee 💯% we have 15 girls, live in Oregon, where even during daylight hours it's usually cloudy and grey - well I'm still getting 9 - 12 eggs a day with no supplemental light. I believe God gave them a natural cycle for their health, so I'm just letting them do their thing. Love my girls!! 🐓🐓
Interesting you put this video up today. I had a juvenile hen that didn't make it back in the coop last night...don't know why. But I couldn't find her to be sure she got back in. I was SURE she'd be frozen to death this morning. It got down to 24 degrees F last night. She was fine this morning! She had spent the night under the coop! If I had supplemental heating she would not have survived since she would not have been acclimated. :)
I am so glad I found you. You are such a hoot. Sorry to say I am not a farmer of any kind. But just love your attitude. Thanks for the enthusiasm for life.
I loved this video Patara. I've been watching you for a while, but this one just hit the nail on the head.
They are animals, live beings, not machines. ❤️
I had a farmer tell me that with the cold weather, no matter where you live, you should supplement not only with like grit but also with scratch feeds that have whole kernels of corn. He said it helps them produce more body heat when they're digesting it.
The only time I use supplemental light is so that I can see what's going on on the inside of the building. Turn it off once I go back out the door.
Good morning. I love seeing your herd of deer. They are beautiful. Hopefully you guys are out of the way of all the tornadoes. The kitties are getting so big. They are such characters. Stay safe. I bought 2 dozen organic brown eggs for $5.49 each. Ouch!
Got the same at Costco yesterday $7.49 for 2 doz organic. Used to be 6.39 a couple of years ago. Yours seem cheap to me 😑
The y ONLY winter I used a supplemental heat source was due to a new coop and it was not built as well as we thought it would be. Lots of cracks and crevices let polar vortex into the coop. We added this just to get us through a rough 3 week period here in Michigan. Took care of the "leaky" coop by adding insulation and plywood on the walls. Use a deep litter bedding system and have not had any issues in this coop since.
"You don't expect your Roma tomato plant to drop you a tomato in February, do ya?" 🤣 Thanks for the videos Patera!
Unless you have a greenhouse! I've got a tray full and more left on my last tomato plant. Seedlings on the way up onion sets and the first of the seed potatoes ready for valentines day planting. It never ends.
I know!!! The highlight of my day 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
☺️😂
Just stumbled across your channel and the timing could not be better!!! I’ve been wanting chickens for YEARS and doing all kinds of research, but the CC&Rs in my neighborhood say we can’t have them 🙄 Now with eggs the way they are, my husband is a little more willing to participate in some Civil Disobedience with me 😂
We bumped ours to $3 but so has everyone else around me. The egg farm raised theirs to $3.50. We had a dang mink and it killed 20 hens in 2 nights. We just got 36 new peeps. We will feed them for about 6 months before we see an egg from them.
At the store yesterday eggs were $4.99-$8. Thank goodness I have chickens. I feed my dogs eggs everyday to increase their nutrition. Even chicks have gone up for this spring from the hatcheries.
You are a wealth of knowledge!
Everything on a farm is seasonal. Chickens stop laying in winter…and when they start again, then you know it’s just about time to start your garden seedlings indoors because spring is right around the corner!
Walmart has the box of 60ct plain jane eggs for $19.98, the chickens have been caged all their life have never felt grass under their feet or eaten a bug. thnx for sharing
Haha. Back to school and molting time. We had 7 hens, they lived quite a few eggs. Coop fencing rusted and we left it. Thinking of getting more chickens again. But we have a new dog. I need to start some training. We had chickens when we got him as a puppy. He tried to play with them but stayed away. Wish me luck. I have always wondered why everyone felt the need to put heaters in a fire friendly coop. I am just south of Atlanta, Ga. That storm yesterday was horrible. Luckily we are safe and sound. Griffin next to us weren't as lucky
@@Feribrat99 🤣
Gosh. I have cousins in Griffin. I had no idea because I live in another state. I need to check on them.🙏
Here in Arizona at the grocery store today the 5 dozen egg pack cost was 32.00. Just insane prices.
Please say a prayer for me that I am able to get chick's this spring. Have a great spot, but need my sons to help build a small coup. Concerned may not be able to get them. Or, if either son will have time to help. If they don't, may not get an egg. Lol
I heard a mainstream radio station yesterday (on their morning show), talking about chickens and water glassing eggs for storage. The signs are everywhere- THIS IS GETTIN' REAL.
You are so right!! When I first got my goats I used a heat lamp (but I fixed it where there was no way of it falling) I didn’t have any issues…. But since I’ve heard how the light bulbs can bust, danger for fire, danger for animals eating glass!
This year I have not used heat for my goats or chickens and they are doing great!! I just made sure that there were no drafts where they would be laying!! It took work and time but it’s all been worth their safety!
I truly think they are doing better because of not using a heat lamp!!
It can be dangerous
Thank you so much Patara, for encouraging people to respect egg sellers!
Thank you for your information. I am now taking care of our chickens. My husband did but he is dealing with cancer and his energy level is low. I try to do the best I can, I’m learning. We have about 15 chickens. Not many eggs right now but grateful for any we get.
I raise quail. I use 200W plate heaters. I mount them outside my cage and put my water next to them to keep it from freezing. I sometimes use heat lamps when raising chicks, but I like to attach to my hardware cloth with wire, and use a thermostat to control temperature. It is unsafe to rely on the clamps to hold those light up, you should use wire to insure they can’t fall. I agree with you they are best avoided, but since some people will probably use them anyway it’s good to talk about safer ways of using them.
Ingles in the upstate of S.C. is $7.00 a dozen. Thank goodness our son and daughter law raise chickens. They keep up supplied.
Agreed. For us the only time we added a light to our chicken house was when we had that terrible freezer for over a week last winter here in Texas. My Texas hens are not used to that cold that long. This year we have not added any light so far.
A young woman I know who works at an Agriculture Experimental Station in Alaska says they overwinter healthy hens at -59°C. No supplemental heat.
I started water glassing eggs from our local gal and we’re about to try a couple for the first time during the pantry challenge. I can’t wait to get my own girls this spring ❤
I don’t plan using a heat source for fire hazard reasons, but also because what if the power goes out and those chickens are used to being warm. I would think that their chances of dying from the cold will go up exponentially.
I find it so strange that people are just now realizing that there’s an egg shortage. I saw it coming at least six months ago which is why we expedited saving for a coop to get chickens. I’m just flummoxed.
If you start using your water-glassed eggs, and find that some of them are runnier than you like, you can chill them in the fridge after you wash them, and they will firm back up. I water glass in 1/2 gallon jars, so I wash all of the eggs in a jar, put them in the fridge, and then start using them the next day.
Order now... they're all ready losing (filling up) early shipping dates at some of the hatcheries.
@@billierichter1379 thank you for sharing that! 😊
@@heatherrue2655, you're very welcome!
Too many people in the Zone on psychotropics.
I’m a first time chicken owner adopted 4 hens and a rooster from my sister in October last year and I’m so grateful to say my gals have been steadily providing. Was everyday but I’m noticing about every other day now. My plan is to let them rest not push them. I haven’t noticed any molting yet but maybe they did before I got them. I’m watching and learning them. Eggs are ridiculously over priced her in CA. Just got a 5 dozen pack for $30 at Walmart but I did find it for $18 at my Costco so I got some there too. This price is for the basic eggs not free range or fancy iYiYi! Thank you for all your wisdom I enjoy learning with you.
Thank you sooo much!!! I was just searching for heat lamps for my chickens. I'm so glad I saw this video before I actually bought one
shock of shocks, I got an egg yesterday. My 3 remaining hens have been taking the winter off. I need to get some more girls in the spring. This time I will not be raising the chicks in my craft room... OMG I had to wash all my quilt fabric... lesson learned.
We put clear panels over a portion of the coop roof so they get as much light as possible. The light on the coop is only for us when it's dark and we need to work in coop. The winter helps them rebuild calcium in their bones that goes to the eggs during egg production months.
I'm in North Idaho, I had a lady tell me that $4/dz for non gmo fed, free range chickens is too expensive. I laughed. If you can find eggs at the store, they are $5.89/dz.
My hens didn't mind the snow. I had a rule, if it wasn't at least 15 degrees outside they had to stay in the coop. They did just fine. No frost bite. I didn't heat the coop. The coop had good ventilation and they huddled together happy as clams. I had to keep up with changing the water out, make sure they had plenty of bedding, and good quality food.
Ur the greatest! My hens are laying 18 eggs a day right now! They are orphingtons ! They just started laying! When I go get my eggs I tell them thank you! I do talk to all my animals! I have 20 hens ! 10 roosters have to get rid of some roosters!
Thank you! Good morning Patara
I think it is wonderful that you are stressing this point. It is a hazard. Some won’t hear you because they think they know better, but you are tight on the money.
Both tight and right on the money. 😊
My Grandmother raised chicken s and she had lots and lots of them no extra heat and they did fine ! I'm 69 yrs old! These Chicken we have are in Texas and they are still laying in the winter ! So Thankful for them ! We don't have a fancy chicken coop but we put shavings in to keeping them more ! HEB and Walmart eggs are 503 dozen now
I let my chicken girls lay naturally. They can take winter off, or slow down. That’s fine. They work hard and deserve a break also.
I would feel awful if my chickens burned to death because I was egg greedy.
If you want to take the extra step - insulate the coop the birds will easily heat it - this from someone that used to get 33 eggs a day in mid-winter from 42 hens no heat but the coop was 2x6 frame with 6inches of fiberglass inside the walls debating starting the coop back up...
You are a smart woman who is clearly working with God's plan. Bless you, your family and your farm. Thank you so very much for your videos.
Thats not where I though this was going but I'm happy to hear it.
We keep our birds without heat in a coop where it's warm and toasty inside for them. They are happy, healthy, sometimes feisty critters and we still get eggs, sometimes frozen when it gets really cold here in MI.
I gave up trying to get extra eggs in the winter about 5 years ago.
For me I really didn’t see much of a difference (your mileage may vary)
As for heat lamp in coop I only use it when temps go down to single digits.
I also have use a thermo cube in case I forget to turn it off.
Want to share a amazing product for use around my suburban homestead.
Reusable zip times.
I use them for everything
Securing plants in vertical gardening
Temporary gates with cattle panels
Secure tarps on a dog run to raise meatbirds (cage doubles as compost pile)
Can’t recommend them more and wanted to share.
Patara thanks for the work you do. You help to keep me motivated.
As a certain gal tells us to do.
Keep stowing and growing and don’t forget to thank the man upstairs
Patera;
I live in the U.P. of Michigan right by lake superior with a small flock of 8 hens in a 10x8 coop and have never used supplemental heat.
Birds survive in the UP at 35 below zero and do just fine. Keep the coop safe from drafts and make sure the ventilation is good. Higher humidity in the coop is what causes frostbite to the comb in the winter.
I have a light on a timer in the coop but it comes on at 7am because that is when I feed and water them.
Also, people that use supplemental heating besides it being a fire danger in the event of a power outage your birds will freeze to death as they are not acclimated to the cold.
Good video and except for unfeathered chicks you do not need a heat lamp.
We live near Lake Superior in Northern Wisconsin. My hubby has been using supplemental heat and light. I'm wondering if we can gradually wean them off the heat? Their coop is built solid with no drafts. Thank you
When I first got chickens I read somewhere that it also hardens or toughens up the chickens to not put a heater in the coop as it helps them better adapt to the elements. So, I never did and none of them have ever frozen to death. Chickens are pretty tough.
I live in north Jersey. I have heated my coop for as long as I have had chickens. I keep the coop at about 40 degrees when it is cold. My heater is safe no open flame. Flame inside of heater combustion air comes from outside. Also prevents water from freezing. I have a nice clean and safe coop. The light I use is a 10-watt led on a timer. I do agree with you regarding safety.
Thank you for this farming info, I love hearing the wisdom from those who know. I'm like a sponge, wanting to soak in the info before I get animals.
We went thru that arctic blast.. Average - 16 feel like - 25ish..no lamp.. No source of heat. Piled in plenty of straw but usually use wood flakes. My 6 hens did ok. I took them warm oatmeal each morning. Still got 5-6 a day.. Had to check and gather often so they didn't freeze.